Has finishing second really hurt Man City’s Champions League chances? How Pellegrini has fared in the past

Much has been made over Manuel Pellegrini’s miscalculations last night resulting in the Chilean settling for second best against Bayern rather than pushing for another goal, but will finishing behind the German’s really hurt City’s chances in Europe? talkSPORT takes a look at how the manager’s previous Champions League teams fared in the past, and if placing first or second in the group stage really helped them along the way…

Villarreal (2005/06)
In his first season in the Champions League Manuel Pellegrini made a major statement by topping a group featuring Manchester United and Benfica, and as a result, the Yellow Submarine were handed a supposedly favourable draw against Rangers in the last 16. The La Liga side could only eliminate the Scots on away goals however, and still had to do things the hard way in the next stage, drawing Inter Milan in the quarter-finals. They certainly didn’t have an easy path to their tough semi-final encounter with Arsenal.

Villarreal (2008/09)
Finishing second in their group in the 2008/09 season, Villarreal drew Panathinaikos in the last 16, and while that may seem like a favourable draw in principle, it’s worth remembering that the Greeks topped a group featuring Inter Milan and Werder Bremen, beating both the Germans and Italians away from home. Villarreal drew at home against a stubborn Panathinaikos side, but beat them 2-1 away to secure their passage to the quarter-finals, where they would once again meet and be eliminated by Arsenal.

Real Madrid (2009/10)
In Manuel Pellegrini’s first and only season with Real Madrid, the Chilean’s side comfortably topped a group featuring AC Milan and Marseille, and were handed a seemingly comfortable last 16 draw against Lyon, who had finished third in Ligue 1 the season prior. A 1-0 defeat in France with Gonzalo Higuain missing a golden chance for an away goal, followed by a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu sent the Spanish side packing against the odds however.

Malaga (2012/13)
Like his Villarreal side seven years before, newcomers Malaga shocked observers by becoming one of the first sides to qualify for the last 16 of the 2012/13 Champions League, topping a group featuring AC Milan and big-spending Zenit St Petersburg. Finishing first didn’t do them much of a favour however, as they drew Portuguese champions Porto in the last 16, and after losing 1-0 in the first leg in Portugal, most expected the Andalucians to crash out. A 2-0 comeback at the Rosaleda sent them through to the quarter-finals however. Malaga then narrowly lost out on the semi-finals following an injury-time Borussia Dortmund winner in Germany, resulting in a 3-2 victory for the Bundesliga side.

talkSPORT verdict
Finishing second may be disappointing for Manchester City supporters, but it certainly isn’t the end of the world. In two of his most successful Champions League seasons Manuel Pellegrini has had to do things the hard way sooner rather than later, facing Inter in the 2005/06 quarter-final, and Porto in the last 16 in 2012/13, so with a good record against tougher opponents, the Chilean is well placed to take City beyond the last 16 regardless of their next rival.

Ultimately, even if City had managed to finish first in Group D, there would still be no guarantee of their progression beyond the next round, as exemplified by Pellegrini’s Madrid team being eliminated by Lyon, a team with far lesser resources, in the 2009/10 season. This year, there is still the possibility that teams of the stature of Borussia Dortmund and FC Barcelona could fail to top their own groups, so a first place finish for City in Group D could still have thrown up a horrific draw in the last 16. Supporters should focus on the positive fact that City have made it to the knockout stage for the first time in their history, as well as a morale-boosting victory of the reigning champions that should put them in good stead to achieve similar feats in the knockout stage, rather than dwelling on finishing second.

City fans, do you agree? Is too much importance being placed on missing out on first place in Group D? Let us know below...